The Cold Funky Son of Shaft

Tearz

It’s hard being a digger in today’s economy. It’s even harder knowing you have a growing list of “Holy Grails” that steady increases in price, and you’re already pinching pennies to buy more records. Let’s add the cost of a jump ticket (skydiving) and wanting to save up for some fairly used gear (container, main parachute, reserve parachute, AAD, etc) which can run upwards of $2000. And that’s used gear we’re talking about. Obviously all this quasi-saving and spending leads me to a pretty mundane lifestyle, save for those days (or months) I do get to fling myself from an airplane 13,000′ up. The price we pay for pleasure though, right? Some like to splurge it on a Thai hooker and some blow. Not I. But I digress.

One record that’s up there on my “To Get” list is the very fucking rare After Laughter by Wendy Rene (of The Drapels). You know, that highly sought after 45 with the old Stax logo, flipped into the legendary Tearz. That one 45 that fetches upwards of $200 + because, well, it’s that fucking rare. So I said “Fuck it”, caved in and bought the repress. (Trust, I will get my hands on the original one day). I’ve included the re-imagined reggae cover by Belizean singer Sweet Tea up top. Peep that bassline though. Rugged and raw! Cop it here for a mere bag of shells.